Riverwalk Brewery To Unveil New Beer

FORT LAUDERDALE -- The only brewery in Broward and Dade counties was on the verge of fiscal collapse until a new owner provided a cash infusion.

The result: The Riverwalk Inn and Brewery, 111 SW Second Ave., opens today from 5 to 11 p.m. to give all comers a taste of Riverwalk Premium, its new dark, full-bodied beer. All that flows is free.

Let the studied palate of brewmaster Stefan Schneider describe the beer: ``We only use malt barley, yeast, hops and water. No sugar. No preservatives. Those give you a hangover.``

Schneider worked hard six weeks ago to prepare the beer being unveiled today, tapped after four weeks in lagering tanks.

Those accustomed to weak, fizzy American beers will have a taste of what real beer was like 500 years ago when scholarly monks fasting for enlightenment sustained themselves on a hearty, unfiltered brew such as Riverwalk Premium.

Riverwalk Inn and Brewery, just west of downtown Fort Lauderdale and a few blocks east of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, is open for lunch and dinner, and the brewery is open for public tours throughout the day.

IF YOU GO

-- WHAT: Riverwalk Inn and Brewery

-- WHERE: 111 SW Second Ave., Fort Lauderdale

-- OPEN: lunch at 11:30 a.m., with live entertainment and free beer from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.